We Don't Talk About It
by tielan
Summary: Batman and waterfalls, the colour purple, Hail Mary, and chess at breakfast. Some people should never be allowed to play together.


**Notes**: Something lighthearted and fun! Written for the SGA Flashfic challenge community on LJ, but dashed if I can remember what the challenge prompt was!

**We Don't Talk About It**

"Hail Mary."

McKay frowns, his brows drawing together in a scowl. "Hail...? Catholic? The Pope? Atonement?"

Beside him, Ronon shrugs. "Don't look at me."

Sheppard, however, isn't looking at either them - his gaze is turned towards Teyla, whose almost surprised answer is, "Football."

"Football? How do you get 'football' from 'Hail Mary'?"

Sheppard picks up the next card and snaps his fingers at the irritated man. "Get with it, Rodney. Okay, there was that planet with the pterodactyls, and the mountains with the spines cut into them. It had a really awesome..."

"Waterfall."

"I was going to say 'view,'" Teyla comments as another card is propped up.

"All right, Rodney, what do you have with maple syrup in the morning?"

"Pancakes? Toast? Cereal..."

"Hot food."

"Bacon?"

Another card comes up.

"Duh-na-na-na-na-na-na..."

"BATMAN!" It's not just McKay singing that one out - Ronon and Teyla all join in the chorus, and Lorne covers his eyes. Beside him, Banks covers her mouth and makes a little coughing noise that suggests she's trying not to laugh.

"I think this counts as cheating," Zelenka mutters from Sheppard's other side, and, beyond him, Mikhail Tovar nods in agreement.

"Don't be a sore loser, Zelenka," says Sheppard cheerfully. "Hendricks has one of these - he had it out on P8Y-443 the other day."

"A yo-yo?" Teyla ventures after a moment's thought and another card is pulled up.

It's demoralising, even though Lorne knows that this is what happens when you play this game with people who know each other far too well. Sheppard and his team-mates haven't missed a card yet, and they're going through the pile at an alarming rate.

Sheppard barks a laugh at the next word. "Ronon's got a big one."

There's a moment of silence, before Teyla says, cautiously, "I believe I shall go with 'guns.'"

"The safe option," Sheppard quips.

Ronon's grin is toothy - at least, until McKay nudges him, scowling. "Don't smirk. It's unbecoming."

"Unbecoming what?"

This is ignored in favour of the next card. "_One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster..._"

"Singing? Oh, the musical..." Sheppard's making 'keep going' gestures as Rodney snaps his fingers, as though he can jolt his thoughts into action with the motion. "Uh, _Chess_."

"Right. Now what's the smallest...uh...thing on the..."

"Pawn." Surprisingly, it's Teyla who follows that one up, and Sheppard flashes her a brief grin as he pulls up the next prompt card.

"Hm. Teyla's top is a shade of..."

"Red."

"Do you even have eyes? It's obviously brown!"

Teyla sighs and rolls her eyes. "Purple. Or lilac. _Halianone_."

"Time's up!" Banks sings out, and not a moment too soon, either. Sheppard and his team were going through the cards like...well...like the Wraith culled Pegasus planets.

"That's twelve," crows Sheppard, gathering up the cards.

"Wait." Tovar interrupts, a frown on his features. "_Halianone_?"

"It is definitely cheating to use other languages," argues Zelenka.

"_Halianone_ is not a direct translation of the colour 'purple,'" Teyla explains. "It is a common flower in Pegasus that is known for this exact shade. Its seeds provide the dye for this material. But if you wish, I am sure we can forgo that point this round."

"What? No! We won that point fair and square!"

"We are already winning, Rodney."

"It's a matter of principle," says Sheppard loftily as he slips into the seat next to Teyla and slides his arm around her to slap Ronon on the shoulder before he lunges across the table and swipes his PDA out from under McKay's protesting arms.

Privately, Lorne agrees with Sheppard - Zelenka _is_ being a little touchy about losing. Although, as his team nominates Banks to be the 'giver' for their guessing round, Lorne reflects that it was probably a mistake to allow Sheppard to pick his team _as_ his team for a game of Taboo.

- **fin** -


End file.
